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CONSTITUTION 


OF    THE 


NATIONAL    INSTITUTE 


OB 


Mi$m,  Srls,  antr  §timtm. 


FOUNDED    1868. 


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WM.  C    BRYANT  <fe  CO.,  PRINTERS,  41  NASSAU  ST,  COR.  LIBERTY, 


1868. 


CONSTITUTION 


OF    THE 


NATIONAL    INSTITUTE 


OF 


tittxs,  Sxts,  antr  BtimctB. 


rOUNDED    1868. 


>       OP  TH«'^>f 

;UI7I7ERSIT 

WM.  C    BRYANT  «fe  CO.,  PRINTERS,  4l  NASSAU  ST,  COR.  LIBERTY. 

1868. 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 

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http://www.archive.org/details/constitutionofnaOOnatirich 


CONSTITUTION 


OF    THE 


NATIONAL    INSTITUTE 


OF 


itttm,  ^xU,  m&  Mnxm. 


We,  the  Undersigned,  for  the  purpose  of  increasing 
and  perpetuating  knowledge,  conducting  investigations 
and  researches  in  regard  to  matters  affecting  the  public 
welfare,  disseminating  correct  views  upon  Literature, 
Art,  and  Science,  and  promoting  intercourse  among 
those  engaged  therein,  do  establish  an  Institute,  and 
ordain  the  following  Constitution. 


Name. 

The  name  of  the  Institute  shall  be  "The  National 
Institute  of  Letters,  Arts,  and  Sciences." 

ARTICLE     II. 

Organization. 

Section  1.  The  Institute  shall  consist  of  Academies, 
not  less  in  number  than  three,  each  of  which  shall  be 
composed  of  not  less  than  thirty  Members,  nor  of  more 
than  two  hundred,  to  be  elected  as  hereinafter  pro- 
vided. 

Section  2.  The  following  Academies  shall  be  first 
established : 

I.  The  Academy  of  Letters  and  the  Fine  Arts. 

II.  The  Academy  of  History  and  Philology. 

HI.  The  Academy  of  the   Metaphysical    and    Ethical 
Sciences. 


6 

IV.  The  Academy  of  tlie  Political,  Social,  and  Legal 
Sciences. 

V.  The  Academy  of  the  Mathematical,  Physical  and 
Mechanical  Sciences. 

VI.  The  Academy  of  the  Natural  Sciences. 

VII.  The  Academy  of  the  Medical  Sciences. 

Section  3.  Each  Academy  shall  regulate  its  own 
affairs  in  a  manner  not  inconsistent  with  the  Constitution 
and  the  By-Laws  of  the  Institute,  and  may  submit  mat- 
ters of  business  to  the  Council  for  its  determination. 


Section  4.  Members  of  any  Academy  shall  have  the 
right  to  attend  the  meetings  of  any  ether  Academy  of 
the  Institute  (except  those  of  a  purely  business  charac- 
ter), and  may  read  memoirs^  and  participate  in  the  de- 
bates when  invited  to  do  so.  Members  of  one  Academy 
may  be  elected  to  membershjip  in  the  other  Academies. 

Se;ction  5.  When  it  is  in  contemplation  to  form  an 
Academy  of  the  Institute,  those,  not  less  than  thirty  in 
number,  desiring  so  to  do,  shall  signify  their  wishes  lo 
the  Council  in  the  following  manner  : 

"  The  undersigned,  citizens  of  the  United  States, 
desire  to  organize  an  Academy  of  the  National  In-, 
stitute  of  Letters,  Arts,  and  Sciences,  to  be  called  the 
Academy  of 

and  respectfully  request  the-  authority  of  the  Council  of 
the  Institute  for  that  purpose." 


A  copy  of  this  request  shall  be  sent  by  the  Secretary 
to  each  member  of  the  Council ;  it  shall  be  read  at  two 
successive  meetings  of  that  body,  and,  a  quorum  being 
present,  a  vote  shall  then  be  taken  thereon.  If  agreed 
to  by  not  less  than  three-fourths  of  the  members  present, 
the  authority  to  act  shall  be  given  by  the  President  in 
the  name  of  the  Council,  and  the  Academy  so  authorized 
shall  be  organized  by  the  signing  of  this  Constitution, 
and  by  the  election  of  officers,  within  thirty  days  there- 
after ;  otherwise  the  authority  shall  be  null  and  void. 

Section  6.  The  provisions  of  Section  5,  relative  to  the 
formation  of  Academies,  shall  not  be  applicable,  so  far 
as  obtaining  the  authority  of  the  Council  is  concerned, 
to  the  organization  of  any  one  of  the  Academies  men- 
tioned in  Section  2  of  this  Article,  jprovided  action  be 
taken  on  or  before  the  thirty-first  day  of  December,  1868. 
For  the  organization  of  one  or  more  of  these  Academies 
before  that  time,  it  shall  only  be  necessary  that  thirty  or 
more  of  those  who  sign  this  Constitution  proceed,  with 
the  authorization  of  a  committee  duly  appointed  for  the 
inauguration  of  the  Institute,  to  the  election  of  officers 
and  the  appointment  of  members  to  represent  the  Acad- 
emy in  the  Council. 

Section  7.  After  the  organization  of  an  Academy,  as 
provided  for  in  Sections  5  and  6  of  this  Article,  nomi- 
nations to  membership  must  be  made  in  writing,  at  a 
business  meeting,  by  at  least  two  members  who  are  per- 
sonally acquainted  with  the  candidate,  and   who  must 


certify  to  his  good  moral  standing,  and  specifically  set 
forth  his  claims  to  admission.  The  application  shall  then 
be  referred  by  the  President  to  a  Committee,  who  shall 
thoroughly  inquire  into  the  claims  of  the  candidate,  and 
report  thereon  to  the  Academy  at  its  next  business  meet- 
ing for  nominations  and  elections.  Should  the  majority 
of  the  Committee  report  adversely,  the  name  of  the  can- 
didate may  be  withdrawn ;  but  should  one-fourth  of  the 
members  present  demand  a  vote,  it  shall  be  taken.  If 
three-fourths  of  the  votes  be  in  favor  of  the  candidate  his 
name  shall  be  reported  to  the  Council  by  the  Secretary ; 
and  if  accepted  at  the  next  meeting  of  the  Council  by  a 
like  vote  to  that  of  the  Academy,  the  candidate  shall  be 
enrolled  as  one  of  the  Academy  electing  him,  and  as 
a  Member  of  the  Institute.  Business  meetings  for  the 
nomination  and  election  of  members  shall  be  held  at  least 
quarterly,  at  such  stated  times  as  the  Academies  shall 
respectively  appoint,  and  due  notice  thereof,  and  of  every 
special  business  meeting,  must  be  given  to  each  member 
of  the  Academy.  Twenty  members  shall  constitute  a 
quorum. 

Section  8.  The  Ofiicers  of  an  Academy  shall  be  : 

A  President, 

A  Vice-President, 

A  Secretary,  and 

A  Treasurer, 
each  of  whom  shall  hold  office  for  two  years,  or  till  his 
successor  is  duly  appointed.     Each  Academy  shall  elect 
its  own  officers,  but  shall  report  its  action  to  the  Council, 
for  approval. 


Section  9.  The  Academies  shall  have  power  to  estab- 
lish Sections,  with  the  approval  of  the  Council,  which 
Sections  shall  each  elect  a  Chairman  and  a  Secretary. 


ARTICLE    III. 

Composition. 

Section  1.  The  National  Institute  of  Letters,  Arts,  and 
Sciences,  shall  be  composed  of 

Members,  appointed  or  elected  as  before  specified. 
They  must  be  citizens  of  the  United  States,  and  at 
least  twenty-five  years  of  age. 

Fellows,  who  shall  be  chosen  from  the  Members  by  a 
majority  vote  of  the  Council,  upon  the  recommendation 
of  the  Academies  to  which  they  severally  belong,  and 
after  maintaining  a  thesis  before  a  meeting  of  the  Mem- 
bers of  the  Institute.  Fellows  shall  not  be  more  in 
number  than  one  in  ten  of  the  members  of  the  several 
Academies.  A  Member  shall  have  attained  the  age  of 
thirty-five  years  before  he  is  eligible  to  a  Fellowship. 

Honorary  Members,  not  exceeding  twenty  for  each 
Academy,  and  fifty  for  the  Council.  The  former  shall 
be  nominated  by  the  Academy  by  a  three-fourths  vote, 
and  confirmed  by  a  like  vote  of  the  Council ;  the  latter 
shall  be  elected  by  a  unanimous  vote  of  the  Council. 
Honorary  Members  must  be  persons  who  have  rendered 
some  marked  services  to  Literature,  Art,  or  Science,  or 
to  the  Institute.     They  may  be  either  citizens  or  aliens. 


10 

Corresponding  Members,  elected  by  an  Academy  or 
by  the  Council.  They  may  be  either  citizens  or  aliens, 
but  are  not  eligible  if  residing  within  fifty  miles  of  the 
City  of  New  York. 

Founders  :  Persons  who  have  each  contributed  a  sum 
of  not  less  than  $1,000  to  the  funds  of  the  Institute. 

Section  2.  Members  and  Fellows  shall  each  pay  a 
Diploma  fee  and  an  annual  assessment,  to  be  fixed  by  the 
Council.  They  alone  shall  have  the  right  to  vote,  ex- 
cept as  hereinafter  provided  for  Founders. 

Honorary  Members  shall  be  subject  to  no  dues,  and 
shall  have  the  right  to  visit  the  collections  of  the  Insti- 
tute, and  to  attend  and  take  part  in  the  meetings  of  the 
Academies. 

Corresponding  Members  shall  pay  a  Diploma  fee,  to  be 
fixed  by  the  Council,  and  may  visit  the  collections  of  the 
Institute,  and  attend  and  take  part  in  the  meetings  of  the 
Academies. 

Founders  shall  be  subject  to  no  dues,  and  may  visit 
the  collections  of  the  Institute,  and  attend  the  meetings 
of  the  Academies,  and  may  be  represented  in  the  Coun- 
cil and  in  the  Board  of  Trustees,  as  hereinafter  pro- 
vided. 

Section  3.  The  diploma  given  in  the  name  of  the  In- 
stitute shall  be  signed  by  the  President  of  the  Institute, 
the  Vice-President,  who  is  President  of  the  Academy  to 
which  the   holder   belongs,    and  the  Permanent  Secre- 


11 

tarj ;  and  shall  bear  the  seal  of  the  Institute  and  of  the 
Academy  of  the  recipient.  Should  a  Member  of  the  In- 
stitute be  elected  to  more  than  one  Academy,  he  shall 
not  receive  an  additional  diploma,  but  the  seal  of  the 
Academy  or  Academies  to  which  he  may  be  elected  shall 
be  affixed  to  his  diplomajj^^Ki^Jay^j^lso  be  signed  by 
the  President  thereoj^^     op  thk       ^ 


AR 


Officers    of    the    Institute. 

Section  1.    The  officers  of  the  Institute  shall  be  : 

A  President,  whose  term  of  office  shall  be  two  years, 
and  who  shall  be  chosen  from  the  Academies  in  succes- 
sion in  accordance  with  their  seniority,  beginning  with 
the  one  first  organized,  provided  that  any  Academy  may 
waive  its  right  to  the  Presidency.  Should  two  or  more 
be  organized  on  the  same  day,  then  the  question  of  pri- 
ority shall  be  determined  by  lot.  The  Academy  from 
which  the  President  is  to  be  chosen  shall  nominate  two 
of  its  members  to  the  Council,  who  shall,  by  a  majority 
vote,  select  one  of  them  for  the  office  of  President : 

Vice  Presidents ;  the  Presidents  of  the  Academies 
being  ex-officio  Vice-Presidents  of  the  Institute  : 

A  Permanent  Secretary  : 

A  Corresponding  Secretary  : 

A  Treasurer  : 


12 


A  Council,  to  be  composed  of  the  officers  above  men- 
tioned, and  of  two  members  elected  by  eacli  Academy, 
one  of  whom  may  be  chosen  from  the  Founders,  who 
shall  serve  for  two  vears. 

The  Permanent  Secretary,  Corresponding  Secretary, 
and  Treasurer,  shall  be  appointed  by  the  Council,  and 
may  be  removed  by  it  for  cause. 

There  shall  be  a  Board  of  Trustees,  consisting  of  five 
persons,  two  of  whom  may  be  Founders,  in  whom  and 
their  successors  shall  be  vested  all  the  property  of  the 
Institute.  They  shall  be  elected  by  the  Council  of  the 
Institute,  and  shall  hold  their  offices  for  ten  years,  and 
in  such  manner  that  one  Trustee  shall  be  elected  every 
two  years.  The  five  Trustees  first  elected  shall  deter- 
mine by  lot  which  of  them  shall  hold  office  for  two, 
which  for  four,  which  for  six,  which  for  eight,  and  which 
for  ten  years. 

The  property  of  the  Institute  shall  be  held  or  trans- 
ferred by  them,  or  their  successors,  as  the  Council  shall 
direct. 

The  Treasurer  shall  execute  a  bond  for  the  due  per- 
formance of  his  duties,  in  such  form  and  sum  as  the 
Council  shall  prescribe. 

Section  2.  The  Council,  shall  establish  By-Laws  for 
the  general  management  of  the  Institute  ;  shall  prescribe 
a  seal ;  shall  have  the  charge  of  its  museums,  collec- 
tions,   libraries,    apparatus,   and  other   property ;    shall 


13 

appoint  Curators,  Librarians,  and  Janitors  ;  shall  have 
charge  of  all  publications  of  the  Institute  ;  shall  arrange 
for  public  lectures,  direct  the  expenditure  of  the  common 
fund,  and  in  general  conduct  all  the  business  of  the  Insti- 
tute not  specially  delegated  to  the  Academies  or  the 
Trustees.  The  Council  shall  meet  at  least  once  in  each 
month,  excepting  the  months  of  July  and  August.  A 
majority  of  its  members  shall  constitute  a  quorum. 

Section  3.    The  Council  shall  determine — 

1.  The.  conformity  of  the  Constitution  and  the  By- 
laws of  the  Academies  with  those  of  the  Institute : 

2.  All  questions  between  an  Academy  and  the  Insti- 
tute : 

3.  And,  at  its  discretion,  any  question  that  may  arise 
between  two  Academies. 

Section  4.  The  duties  of  the  several  officers  of  the 
Institute  shall  be  prescribed  in  the  By-Laws  enacted  by 
the  Council. 


A  R  T  I  C  L  E     V. 

Publications. 

Section  1.  The  Publications  of  the  Institute  shall  con- 
sist of  two  series : 

The  Proceedings^  which  shall  be  published  at  the  dis- 
cretion of  the  Council,  and  which  shall  contain  reports  of 


14 

the  acts  of  each  Academy,  with  abstracts  of  memoirs  read, 
and  of  the  debates. 

The  Transactions^  which  shall  be  published  at  such 
times  as  the  Council  may  appoint,  and  which  shall  consist 
only  of  memoirs  read  before  the  Academies  and  accepted 
for  publication  by  the  Council. 

Section  2.  Every  Member  and  Fellow  of  the  Institute, 
not  in  arrears  for  his  dues,  shall  be  entitled  to  a  copy  of 
the  Proceedings.  Each  Founder  shall  be  entitled  to  a 
copy  of  the  Proceedings  and;  Transactions-. 

[ 
ARTICLE    YI. 

Funds  and  Property. 

Section  1.  All  money  received  as  Diploma  fees,  Dona- 
tions, Bequests,  Subscriptions,  or  from  any  other  source, 
shall,  except  as  hereinafter  provided,  belong  to  the  com- 
mon funds  of  the  Institute 

Section  2.  The  Treasurer  of  the  Institute  shall  place 
to  the  credit  of  each  Academy  all  sums  received  as  yearly 
assessments  from  the  members  thereof;  and  the  ordinary 
current  expenses  of  any  Academy  shall  not  exceed  the 
income  derived  from  this  source.  Nothing  contained  in 
this  or  in  the  first  Section  of  this  Article  shall,  however, 
be  so  construed  as  to  prevent  the  Treasurer  of  the  Insti- 
tute receiving  in  trust  for  any  Academy,  by  subscription, 
gift,  or  bequest,  or  from  the  funds  of  the  Institute,  with 


15, 

the  approval  of  the  Council,  sums  for  any  special  ob- 
ject consistent  with  the  purposes  of  the  Institute.  Pro- 
vided that  the  title  to  any  property  accruing  under  this 
or  any  other  Section  of  this  Constitution  shall  be  vested 
in  the  Institute. 

Section  3.  No  Academy  shall  contract  any  debt  or 
obligation  the  money  for  the  payment  of  which  is  not  in 
the  hands  of  its  Treasurer,  or  to  its  credit  on  the  books 
of  the  Treasurer  of  the  Institute. 


ARTICLE     VII. 

Amendments. 

This  Constitution  may  be  amended  by  the  votes  of  a 
majority  of  the  whole  number  of  Academies  of  the  Insti- 
tute, given  in  favor  of  any  proposed  alteration  after  the 
proposed  alteration  shall  have  been  read  at  two  suc- 
cessive business  meetings  of  each  Academy.  Proposi- 
tions for  amendment  may  be  submitted  to  the  Academies 
by  the  Council,  or  may  originate  in  any  Academy.  In 
the  latter  case,  the  proposed  alterations  shall  be  laid 
before  the  Academies  by  the  Council,  with  an  expression 
of  the  views  of  that  body  thereon. 


<•<►"''. 


14  DAY  USE 

RETURN  TO  DESK  FROM  WHICH  BORROWED 
LOAN  DEPT. 

This  book  is  due  on  the  last  date  stamped  below, 
on  the  date  to  which  renewed. 
Renewed  books  are  subjea  to  immediate  ree^ll. 
■  vt.-v  .   .  '    L.J.  y 


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